Review by Booklist Review
Burke (Christians under Covers, 2016) offers a thoroughly researched and refreshingly readable albeit academic viewpoint of the long-standing debate over pornography in the U.S. Burke scours landmark legislation and court cases, starting with the Comstock laws in 1873 that criminalized the distribution of obscene material through the U.S. Postal Service. As national values progressed and the stricter tenets of the obscenity laws were challenged, notably by Larry Flynt, publisher of Hustler, the opposing camps of antiporn and free speech became more entrenched. Interviews with former porn stars turned vehemently antiporn are balanced by pro-sex feminists looking to elevate the industry from its deeply misogynistic roots. Consumers who have suffered from sex-addiction due to the prevalence of internet porn are contrasted with those in marginalized groups who have found agency within the niche markets of independently produced pornography. There is no winner-take-all conclusion, as Burke so acutely explains. Instead, this volume does a remarkable job of conveying points of view from all sides of the issues, resulting in a much more complex understanding of a lightning-rod subject.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Sociologist Burke (Christians Under Covers) delivers a compassionate and well-balanced study of "the many people, past and present, who believe they know the truth when it comes to pornography and who seek to shape both the culture and the law." Analyzing the cultural and ideological underpinnings of positions taken by pornographers, feminists, sex workers, conservative Christians, feminists, anti--sex trafficking crusaders, and more, Burke sketches the history of antiobscenity laws from the 1873 Comstock Act to the 1973 Supreme Court ruling in Miller v. California that established new national standards for determining whether a work is obscene and therefore falls outside First Amendment protections. Elsewhere, Burke compares the viewpoints of the Christian right and antipornography feminists, examines how sex trafficking laws are "chipping away at the legality of internet pornography," discusses the rise of porn addiction recovery programs, visits antitrafficking conferences and adult entertainment trade shows, and probes the impact of young people using unrealistic porn as ad hoc sex education. Burke's own background as a born-again Christian who left the Baptist church after coming out as a lesbian informs her refreshingly unbiased approach. The result is an astute and forthright presentation of a hotly contested issue. Agent: Amy Bishop, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret. (July)
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Review by Library Journal Review
Can pornography be ethically created? Is porn addiction a real thing? What effect does watching it have on the brain? Sociologist Burke's (Christians Under Covers: Evangelicals and Sexual Pleasure on the Internet) new book doesn't aim to definitively answer these questions; instead it explores their role in American society. Beginning with a summary of the United States' historical attempts to regulate so-called "obscene" material, Burke continues into explorations of anti-porn and porn-positive viewpoints, drawing on interviews with advocates on both sides, scientific studies, and her own visits to conferences, public events, and support groups. Burke is critical of anti-porn adherents who employ scaremongering to bolster their movement, but her book is a balanced presentation of pornography sympathizers and opponents and the valid aspects of their arguments; she even highlights common ground between them. Key to Burke's discussion are her stances that a person's view of pornography is inseparable from their individual experiences, and that pornography can't ever be fully decoupled from wider societal issues of gender, race, morality, and bodily autonomy. VERDICT A mature, thoughtful book about a complex and divisive topic. No matter their personal opinions, readers will likely find observations here to inform their thoughts about pornography's creation and consumption.--Kathleen McCallister
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A thought-provoking examination of pornography in America. "Rather than direct readers to a single truth about porn, this book instead challenges the myths that surround pornography itself and the people who have something to say about it," writes Burke, a sociology professor and author of Christians Under Covers: Evangelicals and Sexual Pleasure on the Internet. From anti-vice activist Anthony Comstock to Inka Winter, the creator of ForPlay Films, "an all-woman porn production company," the author introduces us to a plethora of interesting characters. Beginning with her own upbringing and difficulties as a "sexual outsider, queer without yet having a label," Burke discusses the countless debates about what constitutes porn before moving on to evaluate the arguments on both sides. The author ably unravels a broad set of social and political values that the porn debate evokes, especially the moralizing facade of anti-porn arguments: "Antipornography activists suggest that the reason women participate in pornography is that they think it is good for them when actually it is not." It's clear that Burke wants readers to understand that sex and pornography go beyond the individual, contending that "the capitalist system provides constraints and opportunities for the internet sex industry and for pornography debates." She is also thorough in her deconstruction of the way that pro-porn activists deal with racial iconography and violence in porn narratives. The book is well balanced and rigorously researched, featuring dozens of opinions from across the spectrum of debate, and Burke does her best to keep her own biases in check while illustrating her expertise in the topic. "What I observed over five years of research for this book is that fighters in the porn wars do not assume that if they fight hard enough, the other side will wave its white flag in defeat," she writes. "The porn wars are fought not because either side perceives imminent victory, but because individuals believe it is the right thing to do." An intellectually stimulating read for porn fans and critics alike. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
